1 The statistics in this publication were compiled from information collected in the Job Search Experience Survey (JSE) survey conducted throughout Australia in July 2013 as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). Respondents to the LFS who fell within the scope of the supplementary survey were asked further questions.

2 Information about survey design, scope, coverage and population benchmarks relevant to the monthly LFS, which also applies to supplementary surveys, can be found in the publication Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).

CONCEPTS, SOURCES AND METHODS

3 The conceptual framework used in the monthly LFS aligns closely with the standards and guidelines set out in Resolutions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians. Descriptions of the underlying concepts and structure of Australia's labour force statistics, and the sources and methods used in compiling these estimates, are presented in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

SCOPE

4 The scope of the LFS is restricted to people aged 15 years and over and excludes the following people:

5 Students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, residents of homes (e.g. retirement homes, homes for people with disabilities), and inmates of prisons are excluded from all supplementary surveys.

6 This supplementary survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded persons living in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in very remote parts of Australia.

7 In addition to those already excluded from the LFS, single job holders who were contributing family workers are excluded from this survey.

COVERAGE

8 The estimates in this publication relate to persons covered by the survey in July 2013. In the LFS, coverage rules are applied which aim to ensure that each person is associated with only one dwelling, and hence has only one chance of selection in the survey. See Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) for more details.

SAMPLE SIZE

9 Supplementary surveys are not conducted on the full LFS sample. Since August 1994 the sample for supplementary surveys has been restricted to no more than seven-eighths of the LFS sample.

10 The sample for JSE is a subsample of 35,129 private dwelling households and special dwelling units included in the ABS monthly LFS in July 2013. The final sample on which estimates are based is composed of 6,592 persons aged 15 years and over who, in July 2013, were:

unemployed in July 2013;

employed in July 2013 who started their current job in the previous 12 months; and

employed for more than a year who looked for work in the previous 12 months.

RELIABILITY OF THE ESTIMATES

11 Estimates in this publication are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors:

Sampling error is the difference between the published estimate and the value that would have been produced if all dwellings had been included in the survey. For more information, see the Technical Note.

Non-sampling errors are inaccuracies that occur because of imperfections in reporting by respondents and interviewers, and errors made in coding and processing data. These inaccuracies may occur in any enumeration, whether it be a full count or a sample. Every effort is made to reduce the non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and effective processing procedures.

SEASONAL FACTORS

12 The estimates are based on information collected in the survey month (July) and, due to seasonal factors, may not be representative of other months of the year.

17 Employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises (OMIEs)) have been classified as 'With paid leave entitlements' if they were entitled to paid sick leave and/or paid holiday leave. In all other cases, employees have been classified as 'Without paid leave entitlements'.

COMPARABILITY OF TIME SERIES

18 The Labour Force Survey estimates and estimates from the supplementary surveys, are calculated in such a way as to sum to independent estimates of the civilian population aged 15 years and over (population benchmarks). These population benchmarks are based on Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data. Generally, revisions are made to population benchmarks for the LFS following the final rebasing of population estimates to the latest five-yearly Census of Population and Housing, or when the need arises. However, the estimates from the supplementary surveys are not normally revised to reflect the latest benchmarks.

19 From February 2009 Labour Force Estimates have been compiled using population benchmarks based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Revisions were applied to the LFS population benchmarks in December 2012 and May 2013 to take into account the latest available population estimates. The latest revision undertaken in May 2013 is not reflected in the estimates presented in Job Search Experience, July 2013 (cat. no. 6222.0).

20 Changes to the LFS population benchmarks impact primarily on the magnitude of the Labour Force Survey estimates (i.e. employment and unemployment) that are directly related to the underlying size of the population. For more details on population benchmarks, see the Explanatory Notes in Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) and for details about the revisions made, see the articles in the November 2012 and September 2010 issues of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).

COMPARABILITY WITH MONTHLY LFS STATISTICS

21 Due to differences in the scope and sample size of this supplementary survey and that of the monthly LFS, the estimation procedure may lead to some small variations between labour force estimates from this survey and those from the LFS.

COMPARABILITY WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS

22 From July 2004, a change has been made to the category 'considered too young or too old by employers' for the data items 'all difficulties in finding work' and 'main difficulty in finding work'. The category has been split into 'considered too young by employers' and 'considered too old by employers'. Data for 'considered too young by employers' are not published separately in all relevant tables, but are available on request.

23 The JSE supplementary survey was redesigned in 2011 to broaden the scope of existing JSE populations and to introduce two new population groups:

Owner managers who started their current business in the previous 12 months; and

Persons employed for more than a year in their current job who looked for work in the previous 12 months.

24 In conjunction with these changes, a number of new data items are now presented in this publication and/or available on request. For more information see Appendix 1: Job Search Experience Survey Redesign in the July 2011 edition of Job Search Experience, Australia (cat. no. 6222.0).

25 The changes have resulted in a break in series across all populations. Care should be exercised when comparing the estimates for 2011, 2012 and 2013 with previous years.

26 See Quality Declaration for more information on changes made in 2011 as well as in previous surveys.

27 For the July 2013 survey, all data was collected from any responsible adult (ARA) in the household at the time of interview. The ARA responded on behalf of all people in the household who had taken steps to find work. Prior to 2013, information about job search experience and steps taken to find work was obtained via a personal interview with each relevant person in the household. As a result of this change, there has been no observable statistical impact on the data.

28 From December 2012 to April 2013, the ABS conducted a trial of online data collection for the Labour Force Survey. Respondents in one rotation group (i.e. one-eighth of the survey sample) were offered the option of self completing their labour force survey questionnaire online instead of via face-to-face or telephone interview. From May 2013, the ABS has commenced the expansion of the offer of online collection to each new incoming rotation group. For more information see the article in the April 2013 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6222.0).

29 A measurement strategy was used to identify impacts on the LFS data. No statistical impact has been identified to date.

PREVIOUS SURVEYS

30 JSE was first conducted in July 2002. Results of similar surveys on the job search experience of unemployed people conducted in July 1984, July 1985, June 1986, July 1988, July 1990, June 1991, and annually from July 1992 to July 2001 were published in various issues of Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons, Australia (cat. no. 6222.0). Information on people who had started work for an employer for wages or salary during the 12 months up to the end of the reference week was collected in June 1986 and two-yearly from July 1990 to July 2000 and was published in Successful and Unsuccessful Job Search Experience, Australia (cat. no. 6245.0).

NEXT SURVEY

31 The ABS plans to conduct this survey again in February 2014.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

32 ABS surveys draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated: without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act, 1905.

34 Current publications and other products released by the ABS are available from theStatistics Page on the ABS website. The ABS also issues a daily Release Advice on the website which details products to be released in the week ahead.